1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrolyte additive, an electrolyte including the same, and a rechargeable lithium battery.
2. Description of the Related Art
Batteries transform chemical energy generated from an electrochemical redox reaction of a chemical material in the battery into electrical energy. Such batteries are divided into a primary battery, which should be disposed of after the energy of the battery is consumed, and a rechargeable battery, which can be recharged many times. The rechargeable battery can be charged/discharged many times based on the reversible transformation between chemical energy and electrical energy.
Recent developments in high-tech electronics have allowed electronic devices to become small and light in weight, which has lead to an increase in portable electronic devices. As a power source for such portable electronic devices, the demands for batteries with high energy density are increasing and research on lithium rechargeable batteries is in progress.
A rechargeable lithium battery is fabricated by injecting electrolyte into a battery cell which includes a positive electrode including a positive active material capable of intercalating/deintercalating lithium and a negative electrode including a negative active material capable of intercalating/deintercalating lithium.
A conventional electrolyte includes an organic solvent in which a lithium salt is dissolved and which critically influences stability and performance of a rechargeable lithium battery.